The Taylor University baseball team picked up a big win on the road Tuesday by defeating Butler University 8-2 in the Bulldogs’ home opener.  A balanced offense was again the story for the Trojans, who had eight different players with hits in the game.

The win marks the second year in a row that Taylor has defeated an NCAA Division I opponent.  Last season, the Trojans knocked off Charleston Southern 5-3 on April 3^rd.

After not pitching since last spring due to injury, sophomore Landon Good got the starting nod from Taylor Head Coach Kyle Gould.  In his 2008 debut, Good gave up just one hit and one run while striking out two in three and one-third innings of work.

Butler plated the first run of the game with one in the first inning, but Taylor would answer with a two-run second inning when Cassidy Emery knocked in two RBIs on a two-out double.

The Trojans then extended their lead in the fourth inning on a Christian Burrell sacrifice fly that drove in Blake Rollins to make the score 3-1.

With one out in the Butler half of the fourth inning, Chris Howell (3-0) got the call from the bullpen and went on to pitch the next four innings.  The freshman picked up his third win of the season after striking out four and giving up four hits and one unearned run.

Following two scoreless innings for both teams, Taylor’s bats came alive in the seventh when they strung together five consecutive hits and scored four runs to give the Trojans a 7-1 lead.  The scoring spree was capped by a Taylor Kinzer double that drove in the final two runs of the inning.

In the top of the eighth inning, Taylor picked up an insurance run off the bat of Michael Kraynak when his sacrifice fly scored Emery from third. 

Butler responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the eighth on a Joe Pauley double.  The run wrapped up the scoring for both teams and brought the final score to 8-2.

Kraynak, Kinzer, Rollins, and Emery all collected two hits apiece for Taylor.

Butler Freshman Grant Fillipitch led the Bulldogs at the plate, collecting three hits on the afternoon.